Jiro could not believe it. His old friend has come back out of nowhere in a place he least expected him to show up. A big pleasant surprise but the pleasantries were short and the first question to ask was clear.
"Why are you here?" Jiro asked. For the most part, there were very few reasons Jiro could think of for Sangres to have to come to a place like Roanapur.
Sangres stopped smiling. His demeanor changed at once. "Bad things happened, amigo."
Sangres explained to the worried Jiro about what had happened before arriving in this part of Thailand. The surprise attack on Sangres and his yakuza clan, the rushed escape plan, his arrival to Roanapur. Jiro listened in a state of confusion. He didn't know which clan or any other group that would have the resources or the courage to pull off such an assault. Most of the other yakuza clans shouldn't come close to Sangres's, and Murkeywater was no more after their bankruptcy. One thing was certain both Sangres and Jiro wanted to do, fight back. Problem with that was it wasn't going to be cheap.
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The next day, inside the office of Hotel Moscow.
"So that's what you're here for? Some hustle in exchange for information?" Balalaika said, with a cigar in her mouth and looking right through Sangres and Jiro with her cold, chilling eyes. It was difficult to tell if she really was considering letting the two newcomers in on a job or have them kicked out. Boris, keeping guard to Balalaika's side, knew the two new men were anything but inexperienced scroungers, and Balalaika knew this as well.
"I believe this has to do with me, but I don't know what. Please let us be at your service." Jiro said, trying to sound as respectful as possible. He was well aware of the power of Hotel Moscow and what they were capable of. Getting turned away would be a huge setback.
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"I never thought the PAYDAY gang would ever come for my services," Balalaika said with a smile not at all gentle but the kind that said she knew their secret.
Sangres and Jiro had their hands on their handguns in less than a second. They didn't bring it out of their holster yet, but they were ready if the situation got dirty but not committed to a shootout yet. Same with Boris who did the exact same as the ex-heisters. The only person who didn't go for their gun was Balalaika, not a flinch and perfectly calm. The reaction from the two job seekers wasn't surprising. Only those affiliated with CRIME.NET and a handful of others should know of their PAYDAY identities and Hotel Moscow wasn't on the list. There was never a time in the PAYDAY gang's life when they dealt business with anybody or even anything from Roanapur.
"Calm down, men. I wasn't trying to provoke you. I wanted to let you two know early that I'm quite aware of your pasts. Quite impressive."
"How do you know about us?" Sangres asked, furious but controlled.
"I keep tabs on many things. Why, ever since the ex-yakuza here got some recognition around the city," Balalaika turned slightly to look directly at Jiro, giving him a slimy uneasiness. "I couldn't help but dig into his past. And there I fell into the rabbit hole. To pull a heist off on the White House? I thought that could only be done with an army, but that would be a war, wouldn't it? And for the Mexican to be here as well."
"What do you want?" The question came from Jiro, slightly sweating. Nervous but no twitch. Not the first time he was in these kind of shoes.
"Boris, at ease." Balalaika ordered. Boris took his hand off his gun. The Jiro and Sangres did the same but remained cautious of the current situation. They are in Hotel Moscow's territory, after all.
"I do have a job the both of you could do, but I'll have you work with some others. They should treat you just fine. I've done business with them many times. They're called the Lagoon Company."